Terminal connecter



Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,644

E. WALLER TERMINAL CONNECTER Filed Oct. 28, I921 vwem 170% $5 14 @btoM m .8 M, W

' 17241 wfler I Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EINAB WALLER, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOB TO GENERAL MOTORS CORPORA- TION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 01' DELAWARE.

J TERMINAL CONNECTED.

. Application filed October 28, 1921. Serial N0. 5;,057.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EINAR WALLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, county of Wayne, and State of 5 Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Terminal Connecters, of which the following is a full,

clear, concise, and exact description, such as will enable others sln'lled in the art to which the invention relates to make and use the same, reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to terminal connecters designed for securing the end of an electric supply cable to a source of electricity or to a device to which current is to be supplied such, for example, as are used to connect the usual storage battery with the so switches involved in the starting of an automobile by an electric motor; altho it will be appreciated that my improved terminal is capable of use in other services and in fact wherever it is desired to provide an electric :5 supply conductor or cable with a terminal for facilitating its attachment to any device whatever. My improved terminal connecter is particularly designed for use with cables having comparatively large current carrying capacity, and in which the quantity of current per unit area approaches the safe carrying capacity of the cable.

The principal object of my invention is to provide an improved terminal connector wherein a better contact is secured between the end of the conducting core of the cable and the terminal itself than has heretofore commonly been the case, in order that the resistance at the joint between the terminal 40 and the core will be reduced to a minimum and heating at the joint, due to the current passing therethrough, will be avoided to as great an extent as possible.

A further object of my invention is to I provide an improved terminal connecter wherein the end of the conducting core,

which ordinarily comprises a plurality of wires arranged alongside one another, will be completely enclosed; and which wires W when the connecter is properly attached and ready foruse will be soldered together and to the terminal itself, thus providing a connection in which there are no internal spaces and in which the resistance is reduced to a and enhanced carrying capacity 58 which will be simple in construction, and

which may be readily and cheaply manufactured from sheet metal by the use of suitable drawing and shaping dies, and then easily attached to the end of the cable with which the same is to be used.

With the above and other objects of invention in view, my invention consists in the improved terminal connecter illustrated in the accompanying drawing and hereinafter described and claimed; and in such variations and modifications thereof, within the scope of the concluding claims, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which my invention relates. In the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification and wherein the preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is'-a view showing a sheet metal blank from which my improved terminal connecter is formed, the shape of the blank being such that the terminal may be produced therefrom with the least practicable waste of material.

Figure 2- is a perspective view partlybroken away showmg the blank shown in Figure 1 drawn and shaped by suitable dies into the form of an elongated cup-shaped receptacle.

Figure 3 is a perspective view likewise partly broken away showing-my improved terminal connecter after a further operation has been performed thereupon.

Figure at is a view showmg the connecter in perspective and in its finished form.

Figure 5 is a view also in perspective illustrating the use of my improved terminal connecter in connecting an electric supply cable to a terminal. 7 7 Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral 6 designates a sheet metal blank of brass, copper, or other suitable material and of such form that when subjected to suitable shaping and drawing 0 erations it may be made to assume the orm of an elongated receptacle or cup having a side wall 7, and a bottom or end wall 8, as shown in Figure 2; the shape of the blank being such that the open end of the resulting cup will be in aproximately a single plane so that there W1 be little or no excess material to be trimmed off in finishing the terminal, as will be appreciated.

After the receptacle shown in Figure 2 has been produced the same is subjected to a further manufacturing operation wherein the greater portion of the sides thereof are forced together and made to contact with one another to thereby provide a flat connectin portion made of superposed portions 9, 10 o the wall of the receptacle and whereby the terminal may be fastened to a device to which current is to be supplied. The dies or other means whereby the sidewalls are forced together act throughout a part only of the length of the cup so that one of the semi-circular end portions thereof is not flattened; the result being that after the sides have been pressed together there will remain a substantially tubular portion at one end of the cup, designated by the reference numeral 11, one end of said portion be- :ing closed by the corresponding end of the bottom wall 8 of the cup. This tubular and substantially cylindrical portion is adapted to receive the end of an electrical supply conductor or cable when the terminal is in use; and the connecting portion made up of the plates 9, 10 extends laterally from said tubular portion, and is integral therewith, as will be appreciated.

The pressing together of the side Walls 7 of the cup obviously tends to bulge the bottom wall 8 outward relative to the body of the cup. This bulging, however,.may by the use of suitable dies be obviated and the portion of the wall 8 which forms the end wall of the tubular socket 11 and the edges of the sides 9, 10 which conform with said bottom wall may be made to be in substantially one and the same plane, as shown in Figure 5, after the side Walls have been forced together; the surplus material which results from the flattening of the cup being entirely or for the most part forced toward the portion of the finished terminal corresponding with the open end of the cup, this surplus material taking the form of an extended portion extending along the open or unconnected edges of the overlying plates 9, 10 as indicated by the reference numeral 14 in Figure 3.

After the side walls of the cup have been pressed into contact with one another and the tubular portion 11 provided substantially as shown in Figure 3 the terminal is subjected to the action of suitable trimming dies whereby the projecting portion 14 thereof is cut away to provide a neat appearing terminal having its open end all in one plane, altho it will be appreciated that the terminal may if desired be used in precisely the form shown in Figure 3.

quired, the finished terminal being illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawing; and after the sides of the receptacle have been forced into contact with one another and before the terminal assumes its finished form a suitable hole 15 is provided for the reception of the threaded end of an electrode to which the terminal is to be connected, as will be understood.

Figure 5 illustrates the use of my improved terminal. completed the bared end of the conducting core 16 of a supply cable is introduced into the tubular portion 11 and the terminal as a whole is heated, and solder caused to flow into the spaces between the wall of the said tubular portion and the conducting core; thus securing. the terminal to the supply cable in a secure and permanent manner, and providing a joint between the two which will be filled throughout with solder and in which there will be no void spaces. The supply cable with its attached terminal connecter may then be secured to a suitable binding post 17 of any device to which the cable is to be attached, the terminal being fastened to the post or equivalent member by means of nuts 18 as will be appreciated.

In view of the premises itwill' be appreciated that my invention provides and comprehends a process whereby a terminal con- After the same has been necter may be made from a sheet metal blank by suitable bending and shaping operations performed thereupon, the resulting terminal being an integral structure having a continuous external surface except at the top of the cable receiving socket and along the top edges of the plates which provide the connecting portion thereof; my improved terminal thus being one in which no leakage of solder can occur during the soldering of the cable end within the socket provided therefor, as the same is tight throughout and retains in its finished form the characteristic of a receptacle capable of holding a 1i uid which it acquired after the initial s aping of the flat blank into a cup shape or receptacle of oblong form.

Having thus described and explained my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A terminal connecter comprising a tubular cable end receiving portion closed at' one end by an imperforate wall which is integral with the side wall of the socket thus formed; and a flat connecting portion extending laterally from said tubular portion and comprising two plates in contact with one another, and which plates are integral with the .side wall of said tubular portion or socket. v I

2. A termili al connecter comprising "a tubular cable end receiving portion one end of which: is closed by an end wall, and a flat connecting portion extending laterally fromsaid tubular portion and comprising two plates in contact with one another; said plates, saidend wall and the peripheral wall ofsaid. tubular portion being unbroken external surface. 3. A terminal connecter comprising 'a.

formed from a single. sheet metal blank and the said elements being'integral with one another, and continuous and thereby provide a connecter having a smooth and tubular cable end receiving portion having imperforate side and bottom walls, and an open top, to thereb provide a socket or receptacle; and a at connecting portion ;ofiset so as to lie in substantially the plane tegral with said tubular and receiving portion.

' In testimony"whereof I affix my signature.

EINAR WALLERM 

